League Rookie
Weekly Fantasy Football League: Running Back Sleepers for Weekly Fantasy Football Leagues 2010
One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to fantasy sports is that it's tempting to let the computers or the so-called "experts" do the heavy lifting for you. When you have a few minutes to make your pick, it's easy to fall into the trap of looking down at your big-name draft guide and picking the #43rd best player simply because he's rated higher than #44 and #45.
Rule No. 1: Do your own research. The computers don't factor in things like "Dwayne Bowe is a head case." They don't factor in things like "Hold up on the hype machine, this Ryan Matthews kid is still a rookie." They look at numbers, they look at injury reports, but they can't tell you the whole story. To succeed in your fantasy draft, it's pretty much essential that you look to capitalize on some undervalued players, so that your draft picks aren't just a mirror of where each player should have gone last year. Without further ado, here are some sleeper candidates to bust out at Running Back this season, which makes them valuable assets heading into draft day:
Reggie Bush, New Orleans. He's not exactly threatening to take on Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson for the best RB in the league, but he still brings something to the table. Bush is the second back in New Orleans behind Pierre Thomas, but I'm sorry, Pierre Thomas is not an every-down back. Bush is often used in red zone situations for the Saints, so he should pick up a decent number of touchdowns. Plus, he's used at WR almost as much as he is at Running Back, so it's not too much of a stretch to see Bush scoring 10 TD's this year—that would be two more than consensus #4 RB Ray Rice, I might add…
Jonathan Stewart, Carolina. Sure, he'll continue to split time with DeAngelo Williams, but I have two words for you: Matt Moore. Believe it or not, Moore is the one charged with leading the Panthers' offense this season with Jake Delhomme out of Carolina. If the Panthers leaned on their backs in '09, they'll be pretty much dragged by them in 2010. Stewart has the reputation of a downhill, hard-nosed style, but anyone who watched him play in college knows he can be elusive, too. If you have space for three RB's on your roster, grabbing Stewart and Williams to fill your second and third slots will pay off every single week.
Jahvid Best, Detroit. Three former Pac-10 running backs in a row? Purely a coincidence, I assure you. Best is lightning quick and, outside of Ryan Matthews, is probably in the best position of any rookie running back to light up the league. With Kevin Smith injured for at least the first week, Best will surely be the best option for at least the first quarter of the season in Detroit. (See what I did there? Get ready for a long season of ‘Best' jokes, guys.) Best can flat-out fly, and little else on the Lions roster will frighten anyone. He may not break through so early in his career, but it's not unreasonable to think that Jahvid Best could be a top-10 fantasy rusher this time next year.
Darren Sproles, San Diego. Sproles is pretty much a career backup, but that doesn't mean he can't be effective. He's about as fast as anyone in the league (which is important because he's about the same size as he is on his football card), and he'll be the #2 behind a rookie in Ryan Matthews. Matthews will definitely bring some excitement to the San Diego offense, but if he struggles or gets hurt, Sproles will be a very serviceable backup for coach Norv Turner. Some fantasy drafts are seeing Matthews get taken off the board as early as the 8th or 9th pick; that just doesn't sit right with me, considering 11 NFL teams passed on him in the first round of this season's draft before the Chargers scooped him up. I'm no NFL scout, but I can't imagine a guy deemed the 12th-best NFL prospect in late April is suddenly one of the 10 best players in the league in early July. Darren Sproles is worth a bench spot on any team, but especially if you've made Ryan Matthews one of your first few picks.
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Rookie Life - MLS SuperDraft
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